After allowing six earned runs in his ugly season debut, an assignment against the hapless Colorado Rockies was just what the doctor ordered for Taijuan Walker.
Sometimes, though, medicine doesn't go down the right way. Old friend Mickey Moniak launched a first-inning bomb off Walker that went 433 feet before landing in the second deck of Coors Field.
Now, some of that distance has to do with the high altitude in Denver, but Moniak's home run counted as a "no-doubter" by Statcast's standards, considering it left his bat at 108.7 miles per hour and a 28-degree launch angle.
The same could be said of Moniak's fifth-inning homer as well, which traveled 437 feet after he smoked a misplaced curveball at 103.7 mph.
Sandwiched between those homers was a line-drive blast from TJ Rumfield that came with a runner on base. That was the only real damage Walker allowed during the start -- his final line came in at four earned runs over five innings -- but it's not exactly a positive thing when you allow seven hits, two walks, and three home runs in a single outing.
His early performance has left the Philadelphia Phillies between a rock and a hard place.
Taijuan Walker's time in Phillies' rotation is nearing an end
Mercifully, the veteran right-hander is in the final year of his contract, though that doesn't change the fact that he's earning $18 million in 2026 and remains the best option to cover SP5 innings until Zach Wheeler is able to return from injury.
On that front, Wheeler remains on pace to return from a bout with thoracic outlet syndrome in April, though there are concerns about his velocity and stuff as he continues rehabbing in Lehigh Valley. Even still, a diminished version of the three-time All-Star would be a huge upgrade over Walker in the rotation.
So, when Wheeler triumphantly returns to Philadelphia, expect Walker to get demoted to a mop-up role in the bullpen. That may sound harsh for someone with his pedigree, but he owns a 9.31 ERA and 7.54 FIP through two starts this year (against the Rockies and Washington Nationals, no less). He's the owner of the lowest fastball run value in the league right now (-8), and he's walking nearly as many hitters as he's struck out. This is not a pitcher who can be trusted with leverage innings.
But with Wheeler on the shelf, the team will have to trust him to take a few more turns in the rotation; his next two starts are slated to come against the Arizona Diamondbacks and Atlanta Braves, who are much better offensively than either the Rockies or Nats.
Things might get a lot uglier before they get better.